Shampoo basin

ABSTRACT

Provision is made of a shampoo basin which is designed to support the neck of a person to be washed and rinsed without causing pain, with or without a cushion medium, and a combination of the shampoo basin and a chair.  
     The shampoo basin for washing and rinsing the hair of a person sitting on a chair has a neck-supporting member  4  disposed forwardly of a basin body  2  and composed of an internal corner  41  positioned on the inner peripheral surface side of the basin body  2,  an external corner  42  positioned on the outer peripheral surface side of the basin body  2,  and a top surface  43  interposed between the internal and external corners  41, 42.  The top surface  43  has a curvature radius larger than those of the internal and external corners  41, 42  to support the neck.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a shampoo basin in use at barber's shops or beauty salons, and a combination of the shampoo basin and chair.

[0002] Customarily, shampoo basins have been used to wash and rinse customer's hair at barber's shops or beauty salons. The posture of customers being washed and rinsed their hair can be classified roughly into two different types. One of them makes a customer who is to be washed and rinsed one's hair lie on the chair, which is positioned in front of the basin and adjusted almost horizontally. Another type makes a customer who is to be washed and rinsed one's hair sit on the chair, which is positioned in front of the basin and inclined more vertically than 45 degrees of the angle.

[0003] The present invention is especially related to the second type of posture. In the following explanation, a general reference to shampoo basin designates the shampoo basin used in the second type of posture.

[0004] Unlike the first type requiring the lying posture, a shampoo basin used in the second type asks a person to hold back one's head widely. A body of the basin is equipped with a cushioning medium to support the neck without pain.

[0005] More specifically, said basin body is made of synthetic resin like fiber-reinforced plastics or hard materials like porcelain, and is equipped on its upper edge with a cushioning medium with an inverted U-like shape in cross section, to support the one's neck.

[0006] Loading a cushioning medium affects the upper edge of basin body, causing not to be very wide.

[0007] The profile of the upper edge is formed by an actual single curved surface.

[0008] A basin body of prior art was arranged to support the neck at one point of its upper edge. FIG. 9 is a central longitudinal cross sectional view showing that the basin body 101 of a shampoo basin is in use.

[0009] Said shampoo basin was made as a trial one by the inventor of the present application while inventing. This trial basin still has a technical concept of prior art about shampoo basin; the neck-supporting member 102 of the basin body 101 has a mere small width on the upper edge 103. The profile of the edge is formed by an actual single curved surface.

[0010] Accordingly, the neck k of a person has a contacting spot only on the neck-supporting member 102 of the upper edge 103, resulting in causing pain in the neck.

[0011] A cushioning medium to the basin body helps avoid a person from pain in the neck effectively, but the cushioning medium may lack its durability and cause inconvenience when cleaning the shampoo basin.

[0012] Thus, the present invention provides a shampoo basin which acts to support the neck of a person to avoid pain in the neck, with or without aid of a cushioning medium, and a combination of shampoo basin and chair.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The present invention provides a shampoo basin 1 for washing and rinsing the hair of a person sitting on a chair while supporting one's neck,

[0014] wherein said shampoo basin comprises a top-opened basin body 2 and a neck-supporting member 4 which is a part of the upper edge of said basin body 2 and has an internal corner 41 positioned inside and an external corner 42 positioned outside on the peripheral surface side of said basin body, and a top surface 43 which is located between the internal and external corners 41, 42 and has a curvature radius larger than those of the internal and external corners 41, 42 to support one's neck.

[0015] The top surface 43 can be either a flat surface (an infinite surface in curvature radius, so to speak) or a curved surface. Being curved, preferable curving makes slightly upward with a curvature radius larger than those of the internal and external corners 41, 42.

[0016] Additionally, the present invention provides a combination of shampoo basin and chair,

[0017] wherein it comprises said shampoo basin and a chair 5 which is positioned in front of said shampoo basin and holds the person who is to be washed and rinsed while the back seat 52 of the chair 5 is reclining.

[0018] The top surface 43 has a slight incline. The angle formed by an imaginary line linking the end of the internal corner 41 with the end of the external corner 42, and a horizontal line inclines preferably within the range of 5 to 25 degrees (more preferably within 10 to 20 degrees) of the angle. This enables the neck to rest desirably on the top surface 43, resulting in feeling the least pain, if caused.

[0019] Moreover, the top surface 43 can be made sufficiently wide in a longitudinal direction. The width between the end of the inner peripheral side of the internal corner 41 and the end of the outer peripheral surface side of the external corner 42 is preferably around 4 to 8 cm, which supports one's neck, resulting in feeling the least pain, if caused.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shampoo basin in accordance with the present invention,

[0021]FIG. 2 is its plan view,

[0022]FIG. 3 is its front view,

[0023]FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 2,

[0024]FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a principal part of FIG. 4,

[0025]FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view showing a state of use of said shampoo basin,

[0026]FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 2,

[0027]FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII of FIG. 2, and

[0028]FIG. 9 is a central longitudinal cross sectional view of a shampoo basin produced by way of trial by the inventor of the present application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] The shampoo basin 1 of the present invention is intended for washing and rinsing the hair of a person who sits on the chair 5 with one's neck supported on the top surface 43 of said shampoo basin. As shown in FIG. 1, the shampoo basin 1 can be functioned with the chair 5 positioned in front of said basin.

[0030] Said chair 5 comprises a seat 51 for being sat by the person and a back seat 52 placed behind said seat 51 for holding one's back. A support member 53 provided beneath said seat 51 stabilizes the chair on the floor.

[0031] The most desirable posture of a person, sitting on the chair to be washed and rinsed, is reclining at the angle from 70 to 80 degrees vertically. Its angle from 30 to 45 degrees sharp between the level line and a reclining back seat 52 is acceptable.

[0032] The shampoo basin 1 is provided with a top-opened basin body 2 and a support member 3 for stabilizing said basin body 2, which is made of porcelain or synthesized resin.

[0033] The support member 3 is united with the support member 53 of the chair 5 at the lower part thereof as seen in FIG. 1. The support member 3 can be detached to make the shampoo basin and the chair usable separately. Appearance of the support member 3 and 53 can seem united in a single casing even when having respective structures inside. FIGS. 2 to 8 show the basin body 2 alone.

[0034] The basin body 2 has a sink 21 which can keep water for washing hair, and a neck-supporting member 4 in the top surface 43 to support one s neck. The sink 21 can be shaped as circle, ellipse, rectangle, etc. This embodiment has the right and left projections 22, 22 formed forward from the right and left front portions to avoid water from falling on one's face and to wash one's hair with ease.

[0035] The shampoo basin 1 is formed with a shower 23 and a tap 24 for regulating the flow of water, as shown in FIG. 1. However, these water appliances are not necessarily united with said basin 1; they can be put beside the shampoo basin 1. FIG. 2 shows temporary holes for a shower 23 a, a tap 24 and a drainage 25.

[0036] The shower 23 comes out of the shower-receiving hole 23 a. When the shower 23 is out of the shower-receiving hole 23 a, a hose (not shown in FIG. 2) connected to the shower 23 is pulled out through the shower-receiving hole 23 a, whereby the hair can be washed easily while using the shower 23 by hand.

[0037] The neck-supporting member 4 comprises a part of the upper edge of the basin body 2 and contacts the neck of a person. In the plan view of FIG. 2, the upper edge 43 and the neck-supporting member 4 are formed extending backward from the right and left projections 22, 22.

[0038] The neck-supporting member 4 comprises an internal corner 41 positioned in the inner peripheral surface side of the basin body 2, an external corner 42 positioned in the outer peripheral surface side of the basin body 2, and a top surface 43 positioned between the internal and external corners 41, 42 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The internal corner 41 is a part of the inside of the basin constituting the sink 21, and the external corner 42 is a part of the outside of the basin body 2.

[0039] The top surface 43 has a curving with a curvature radius r3 that is larger than the curvature radii r1, r2 of the internal and external corners 41, 42, which make a curving slightly upward. The top surface 43 supports the neck k of a person, as shown in FIG. 6, and while supporting the neck k, the top surface 43 remains contacting said neck on the gently curved surface designed to the outline of the neck, and avoids pain in the neck, thereby it leads to neglect the necessity of a cushioning medium like towel, as ever before.

[0040] No hindrance occurs when using a cushioning medium.

[0041] The preferable number of the curvature radii r1, r2 of the internal and external corners 41, 42 is 1.5 to 3 cm, and the curvature radius r3 of the top surface 10 to 15 cm. But these numbers can be changed as needed.

[0042] Additionally, said corners can be changeable in the form of, for example, an oval that varies in curvature radius.

[0043] Said top surface 43 is preferable when gently inclined from inner edge to outer edge of the basin. Such an arrangement makes an angle formed between a hypothetical line x which links the end of the inner peripheral side (the innermost part when viewed from top) of the internal corner 41 to the end of the external peripheral surface side (the outermost part when viewed from top) of the external corner 42 and a horizontal line h, wherein it's within the range of 5 to 25 degrees, whereby the neck can be supported without pain.

[0044] The angle formed between the basin body 2 and the support member 3 can leave adjustable, but the number provided above is acceptable.

[0045] The top surface 43 is sufficiently wide in a longitudinal direction. The width between the end of the inner peripheral side of the internal corner 41 and the end of the outer peripheral surface side of the external corner 42 is defined to be within the range of 4 to 8 cm, so the top surface 43 contacts the neck to support. The upper edge of the basin body 2 other than the neck-supporting member 4, same as in prior art, is constituted by the curved surface of a short curvature radius around 2 cm of its thickness.

[0046] When a person is sitting on a reclining chair in front of the shampoo basin in the present invention, the face turns upward, one's neck being supported by the neck-supporting member 4 of the basin. The lower part of the neck touches around the external corner 42 first, and when further reclining, the upper part of the neck touches the internal corner 41 and eventually the neck has a touching area, not as a point, with the top surface 43 interposed between both corners. As the neck curves with a seat inclined backward, the top surface 43 fits the outline of the neck to support it.

[0047] As described, the present invention provides a shampoo basin designed to wash and rinse the hair of a person sitting on a chair, wherein the neck can be supported on the top part of the edge causing pain without a cushion medium, and a combination of said shampoo basin and a chair. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A shampoo basin for washing and rinsing the hair of a person sitting on a chair and for supporting one's neck, which comprises a top-opened basin body and a neck-supporting member constituting a part of the upper edge of the basin body and supporting one's neck, said neck-supporting member with an internal corner positioned on the inner peripheral surface side of the basin body, an external corner positioned on the outer peripheral surface side of the basin body, and the top surface, interposed between the internal and external corners, with a curvature radius larger than those of the internal and external corners to support the neck.
 2. The shampoo basin as defined in claim 1, which has the angle, as formed by an imaginary line linking the end of the inner peripheral side of the internal corner with the end of the outer peripheral surface side of the external corner and a horizontal line, being within the range from 5 to 25 degrees.
 3. The shampoo basin as defined in claim 1 or 2, which has the width, between the end of the inner peripheral side of the internal corner and the end of the outer peripheral surface side of the external corner, being within the range from 4 to 8 cm.
 4. A combination of shampoo basin and chair, wherein there are provided the shampoo basin as defined in any one of claims 1 to 3 and a chair positioned in front of said shampoo basin, said chair acting to hold a person who is in a seated posture while reclining against the back seat of the chair, and said neck-supporting member of said shampoo basin positioned behind and above the upper end of the back seat. 